Arson forensics (also known as fire investigation) is the application of science to the investigation of arson. Arson forensics has two distinct phases: fire scene investigation, which focuses on evidence at the scene of the fire, and fire debris analysis, which focuses on evidence removed from the scene and analyzed in a laboratory.
Fire scene investigation involves determining whether a fire was intentionally set and identifying its point of origin. It becomes much more difficult when the “flashover” point has been reached — when a room becomes so hot that every ignitable surface bursts into flames.
Fire debris analysis focuses on ignitable liquid residues (ILRs) and aims to identify potential traces of accelerant and their chemical composition — these samples are usually found by dogs at the scene.
Used in tactics: Incrimination
Mitigations
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Anonymous purchases | Accelerants can sometimes be identified and traced back to a gas station brand, and from there, to the identity of the buyer. To prevent this, you should purchase accelerants anonymously. |
| Careful action planning | Different actions can be tied together if accelerant from the same source is used in all of them. To prevent this, you should not reuse accelerant from the same source in different actions. |